Session 39
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Sheraton Ballroom II
Let the Circus Begin: How to prepare for a capital campaign so that you can save time and money

Speaker: Andy Gaertner
Director of Stewardship and Development
Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Moderator: Cynthia Larez
ICSC Conference Team
Wichita, Kansas

This presentation will review examples of campaigns that the presenter has managed and discuss issues regarding case/need preparation, feasibility studies, donor research, donor cultivation and communications. It will give you realistic expectations regarding how campaigns work.

Mr. Andy Gaertner

Andy Gaertner is the director of development for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. After college, he started his professional career working for Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus. Since that time, he has been involved in fundraising for and with the Catholic Church for over 30 years.

As a fundraising consultant for ten years with both CCS and the Steier Group, Mr. Gaertner managed diocesan, high school and parish capital campaigns. He has also served as director of development and stewardship for the Dioceses of Nashville, Tennessee; Davenport, Iowa; and La Crosse, Wisconsin. He is currently working on a $150 million campaign for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

Session 38
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Huron
Leveraging Seminars and Professional Advisors to Obtain Planned Gifts

Speaker: Kimberly Jetton, CFRE
Director of Planned Giving
Archdiocese of Los Angeles, California

Moderator: Alma Benitez
Director of Stewardship and Development
Diocese of Yakima, Washington

Grow your planned giving outreach through estate planning seminars and professional advisors in a budget-friendly way. Over 70% of Americans do not have an estate plan, so help your stakeholders learn about planning while encouraging bequests for your ministry. Learn how to get attendees, what to present and how to encourage legacy gifts with estate attorneys and financial advisors.

Ms. Kimberly Jetton, CFRE

Kimberly Jetton serves as the director of planned giving for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, which is the largest archdiocese in the United States and the fourth largest in the world. She has over 20 years’ experience in advancement, with a concentration on planned gifts. Her areas of expertise include estate planning as it pertains to charitable giving and tax benefits, charitable gift annuities, endowments and charitable trusts. She and her team have developed the flagship planned giving program for dioceses across the country and have secured over $70 million in planned gifts for parishes, schools and ministries.

Ms. Jetton is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), holds a master’s degree in nonprofit management from Regis University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona. In addition to her position at the archdiocese, she is an extension faculty member at Loyola Marymount University, a faculty member for the National Catholic Planned Giving Conference, and has served in a variety of leadership and board positions in support of nonprofits during her career.

Session 29
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Sheraton Ballroom II
The Annual Appeal – Moving it to the Next Level

Speaker: Mary J. Foley
Managing Director
Mission Advancement Division
Christian Brothers Services
Romeoville, Illinois

Moderator: James S. Friend, Jr.
Senior Managing Director
Changing Our World
Green Bay, Wisconsin

An annual fund is the centerpiece of our development programs and so needs to continually expand and improve to generate growing and predictable revenues and continually inspire our donors to embrace stewardship, of course! Join us for a lively session that will address key strategies for increasing participation rate, upgrading gift levels, analyzing results, recapturing LYBUNTS/SYBUNTS, and building a culture of major gifts. We will look at trends and new opportunities for solicitation approaches and how to freshen up longstanding practices.

Ms. Mary J. Foley

Mary J. Foley is managing director at Christian Brothers Services and oversees the Mission Advancement and Catholic School Management divisions. She brings 35 plus years of experience to the nonprofit world and offers a wealth of strategic leadership skills and insights to the educational, religious and social service arenas.

Ms. Foley has worked with hundreds of nonprofits, internally as a director of development, at the board level, and through a wide variety of consulting engagements. She has raised hundreds of millions of dollars through capital campaigns, annual fund appeals and ever-expanding advancement initiatives for organizations large and small. She is a frequent presenter at NCEA, CASE, AFP, ICSC, DOJ and other professional development conferences.

Session 28
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Huron
Catholic Foundations Supporting Parishes and Schools in Planned Giving Efforts

Speaker: Suzanne Nunn
Interim Executive Director
Orange Catholic Foundation
Garden Grove, California

Moderator: Robin Margraf
Pastoral Associate
Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church
San Clemente, California

As a Catholic foundation, how can you provide long-term support to sustain your parishes, schools and diocesan ministries while experiencing the benefit of growth in foundation endowments? This session will provide programs, resources and tools that a Catholic foundation can implement. They are designed to create opportunities to grow the legal and financial advisor sectors in your diocese and organize and provide training for parish and school development leaders in support of their efforts to assist parishioners in their planning of asset and legacy gifts.

Ms. Suzanne Nunn

Suzanne Nunn is the executive director of the Orange Catholic Foundation. She has served the Orange Catholic Foundation since 2010 and is responsible for directing the Endowment Development and Asset and Legacy Giving programs throughout the Catholic community. She provides consultation for parishes on the implementation of Asset and Legacy giving programs, Estate and Trusts administration, Creative Giving workshops and Wills & Trusts weeks to help parishes embrace Christian stewardship as a way of life.

Session 27
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Erie
Fundraising in Times of Adversity

Facilitator: Jim Kelley
Director of Development
Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina

Speaker: Sister Mary Brigid Callan
Assistant to Scott Hahn
Steubenville, Ohio

Speaker: Monica Herman
Executive Director
Catholic Foundation of Southern Minnesota
Winona, Minnesota

Speaker: Kim Roche
Director, Stewardship and Development
Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

The impact of scandals, economic downturns and shifting demographics can be devastating for diocesan and foundation-related fundraising efforts. Sometimes the negative impact can be swift, painful and much greater than anyone expected. The panelists in this session will share their stories, how they responded and what they learned as they struggled to carry out their respective ministries to advance the mission of the Church and serve their community of faith.

Mr. Jim Kelley

Jim Kelley is the director of development for the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina. He manages the office which operates the diocesan support appeal, assists parishes with stewardship efforts and capital campaigns, assists Catholic schools’ development efforts, directs development efforts for Catholic social services and campus ministry, directs the planned giving and major gift programs and writes grants. He is also the executive director of the Foundation of the Diocese of Charlotte.

Mr. Kelley is the author of Stewardship Manual: A Guide for Individuals and Parishes Developing Stewardship as a Way of Life, and the book, Sustaining and Strengthening Stewardship. He is the co-author and co-editor of Stewardship: Disciples Respond – A Practical Guide for Pastoral Leaders, and the Children’s Stewardship Manual, both ICSC publications.

He has been a member of the committee that organized and produced the ICSC publication, Keeping Stewardship Alive: Proven Stewardship Ideas as well.

Mr. Kelley has served ICSC in countless capacities over the last 30 years: its board of directors, numerous committees, and presentations at annual ICSC conferences and institutes. He had two tenures on its board of directors; first, from 1994 to 2000, serving as vice president from 1997 to 2000. Then, again from 2006 to 2007, serving as board president from 2007 to 2011. He was also the 2000 recipient of the ICSC Bishop Connare Award. Mr. Kelley has significant board experience having chaired 21 nonprofit boards over the last 20 years.

Sr. Mary Brigid Callan, Ph.D.

Sr. Mary Brigid Callan, Ph.D., was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Colorado where she first sensed a call to religious life. After earning a degree in agronomy and a Ph.D. in bioagricultural sciences, she went on to begin a corporate career as a research scientist. This eventually led to a global career in business development in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Decades later, still feeling that “God-shaped hole” in her life, she returned to answer God’s call to religious life. She first entered religious life as an Augustinian, but is now living a solitary consecrated life in Steubenville, Ohio, and is the apostolic administrator for Dr. Scott Hahn and the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. Sr. Mary Brigid is a member of The Society of Catholic Scientists, the International Marian Association, and the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and serves on the board of directors for AIM Women’s Center.

Ms. Monica Herman

Monica Herman currently serves as executive director of the Catholic Foundation of Southern Minnesota in Winona, Minnesota. She previously held the position of director of stewardship/development and communication for the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. Prior to her work in Winona, Minnesota she was involved in stewardship and development with Catholic foundations, schools and hospitals. She currently lives in Arcadia, Wisconsin with her husband, Alan, and their beloved French bulldog, Norman. Together they have two grown children.

Ms. Kim Roche

Kim Roche began her 20-year career in development at the elementary school where her children were enrolled as a part-time employee. After two years, she moved on to Lancaster Catholic High School to work full-time in the advancement office where she spent five years learning about enrollment, retention, the annual fund, and stewardship.

The next two years saw Ms. Roche working with the high school athletic department helping them raise annual operating funds. In 2008, she accepted a job at Franklin & Marshall College as a major gifts officer, working with high capacity donors in support of the college’s priorities as they embarked on a comprehensive capital campaign.

In 2018, she became the director of the Office of Stewardship & Development for the Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. In her current role, she is responsible for the diocesan annual campaign and two other annual collections, as well as starting a planned giving program in support of the diocese, its 98 parishes and 43 schools throughout the 15 county diocese. Ms. Roche is married to her husband, Brian, and together they have four children. They belong to St John Neumann Parish in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Session 37
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Erie
Building Endowments into Capital Campaigns

Speaker: Kevin Lynch
President
Lynch Development Associates
Centerport, New York

Moderator: Laurie Whitfield
Vice President, Marketing and Stewardship
Lynch Development Associates
Centerport, New York

Many dioceses and parishes are asking the question, “How do we get more people to attend Mass?” While this question is being posed across the board and the answer is multifaceted, study results show that there is one very strong component to answering this question – a strong Catholic education. This session will explore how to direct your efforts in order to slow and perhaps reverse this growing trend.

Mr. Kevin Lynch

Kevin Lynch is the founder and president of Lynch Development Associates (LDA) of Centerport, New York. Celebrating 25 years as a Catholic consulting firm, LDA has raised more than $1.5 billion through capital and stewardship services for parishes, schools, religious communities, retreat houses, healthcare institutions and other nonprofit organizations.

Mr. Lynch is a graduate of St. John’s University in New York with a bachelor’s degree in speech with specific concentration in rhetoric and public address. Throughout his career, Mr. Lynch has become well known as a motivational speaker with regard to key issues facing the Church today.

He has served ICSC as a member of its board of directors, conference registration campaign co-chair and conference emcee. He also serves on the board of the Michael Lynch Memorial Foundation (www.mlynch.org) and is a member of the finance council of his home parish of St. Patrick in Huntington, New York.

Session 36
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Superior
One-to-One Fundraising: Using Personalization to Improve Your Annual Appeals

Speaker: Theresa Aide
Sales Representative
Suttle-Straus
Waunakee, Wisconsin

Speaker: Karen Wenning
S4 Marketing Resource Center

Moderator: Jill McNally
Director, Stewardship and Development
Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin

Making a personal connection with your parishioners is an effective way to influence their participation in appeal campaigns. Through use of targeted messaging, images and donation amounts, your campaign can better resonate with individuals. This session will demonstrate how using your data can change campaign materials from a “one-size-fits-all” approach, to a “tailor-made” catalyst for giving. Sharing takeaways from 20-plus years of mail projects will show how effective and easy a targeted approach can be.

Ms. Theresa Aide

Theresa Aide has almost 30 years of experience in print and mail services, and coordinates large appeal projects for nonprofits like the Diocese of Madison, Diocese of La Crosse and the University of Wisconsin Foundation. Her previous role as a customer service representative working closely with production means she has a detailed knowledge of best practices.

Karen M. Wenning

Karen M. Wenning has spent the last 24 years in the marketing communications industry. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin, Madison she spent 12 years at an advertising agency working with luxury brands where she developed a passion for marketing supply chain management, advertising production and integrated marketing program development. In 2008 she joined the Suttle-Straus team serving roles in marketing and sales, growing several nonprofit clients in the education vertical. Currently, she champions the S4 Marketing Resource Center technology platform delivering an unfair advantage to companies with a distributed marketing network.

Session 26
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Superior
How Diocesan Development and Finance Directors Can Better Collaborate for the Glory of God

Speaker: John Mark Willcox
Director of Development and Communications
Diocese of Shreveport, Louisiana

Moderator: Shaun Riedell
Director of Development
Diocese of Springfield, Illinois

Working with your diocesan business officer can be challenging in many ways, but the proper blending of accounting and stewardship can be a real bonus for the work of the Church. Do you truly understand the difficult job of a diocesan business officer? Does this individual comprehend your mission as a fundraiser for the Church? Know and understand each department’s mission and enhance the effectiveness of your combined efforts to share the love of Christ in your diocese.

Mr. John Mark Willcox

John Mark Willcox has served as the director of development and public relations for the Diocese of Shreveport since 1989. In over 30 years of serving the Church, he has provided stewardship and planned giving ministry throughout North Louisiana, served as the producer/director of live, nation-wide Catholic satellite television programming provided to millions of homes and served as the diocesan media spokesperson on issues ranging from pastoral teaching documents to the Church’s sex abuse scandal.

Session 25
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Ontario
Llevando la Corresponsabilidad a la Gente, Parroquia por Parroquia/Bringing Stewardship to the People Parish by Parish

Speaker: Hiram Diaz Belardo
Director de Desarrollo
Arquidiócesis de San Juan, Puerto Rico

Moderator: Myrtha Diaz Medina
Moderadora del Consejo Pastoral Parroquial
Parroquia Espíritu Santo
Toa Baja, Puerto Rico

Esta sesión mostrará cómo los líderes de corresponsabilidad en la Arquidiócesis de San Juan, Puerto Rico están introduciendo el concepto de corresponsabilidad en cada parroquia para que, una por una, se transformen de simples lugares de oración en comunidades eucarísticas vibrantes, totalmente comprometidas con el trabajo de El Señor.

This session will show how stewardship leaders in the Archdiocese of San Juan, Puerto Rico are introducing the concept of stewardship to each parish so that one by one they are being transformed from simple places of worship into vibrant Eucharistic communities, fully committed to the work of the Lord.

Mr. Hiram Diaz Belardo

Hiram Diaz Belardo is the director of development and stewardship for the Archdiocese of San Juan, Puerto Rico. He has been with the archdiocese two years, one year in his current position. His responsibilities include archdiocesan fundraising initiatives, parish relief fundraising efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria and working with the archdiocesan stewardship committee. Before coming to the archdiocese, he was the director of the youth affairs program at Puerto Rico’s economic development and commerce department. Mr. Diaz was born and raised in San Juan. He and his wife, Ana, have three children and are members of San Pedro Mártir Parish in Guaynabo

.El Sr. Hiram Díaz Belardo

El Sr. Hiram Díaz Belardo es el director de desarrollo y administración de la Arquidiócesis de San Juan, Puerto Rico. Ha estado con la arquidiócesis por dos años, un año en su posición actual. Sus responsabilidades incluyen iniciativas de recaudación de fondos arquidiocesanos, esfuerzos de recaudación de fondos de ayuda parroquial después del huracán María y trabajar con el comité de administración arquidiocesana. Antes de llegar a la arquidiócesis, fue director del programa de asuntos juveniles en el departamento de desarrollo económico y comercio de Puerto Rico. El Sr. Díaz nació y creció en San Juan. Él y su esposa, Ana, tienen tres hijos y son miembros de la parroquia San Pedro Mártir en Guaynabo.

Session 35
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Ontario
La Generosidad Más Allá de las Paredes de la Parroquia/Generosity Beyond Parish Walls

Speaker: Reverend Leo Perez, O.M.I.
Director
USCCB, Colección para la Iglesia en América Latina
Washington, DC

Speaker: Marilyn Santos
Directora asociada
USCCB, Secretaría de Evangelización y Catequesis
Washington, DC

Moderator: Coni Perez
Equipo de la Conferencia ICSC
Houston, Texas

Esta sesión explorará cómo el ejercicio de la corresponsabilidad en nuestra parroquia y comunidades locales nos transforma en discípulos misioneros: participantes activos en los esfuerzos misioneros de la Iglesia en todo el mundo. El personal de las Oficinas de Evangelización y Catequesis y Colecciones Nacionales de USCCB lo guiará a través de estrategias claves y métodos de participación que resuenan con los feligreses, incluidos los adultos jóvenes. Venga y comparta maneras en que podemos trabajar en colaboración para celebrar la obra de Dios y la generosidad de los feligreses. Juntos, podemos inspirar generosidad y solidaridad más allá de los muros de nuestra parroquia.

This session will explore how exercising stewardship in our parish and local communities transforms us into missionary disciples: active participants in the Church’s missionary efforts around the world. Staff from the USCCB Offices of Evangelization and Catechesis and National Collections will walk you through key strategies and methods of engagement that resonate with parishioners including young adults. Come and share ways we can work collaboratively to celebrate God’s work and parishioners’ generosity. Together, we can inspire generosity and solidarity beyond our parish walls.

The Reverend Leo Perez, O.M.I.

Father Leo Perez, O.M.I. is director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Collection for the Church in Latin America. His previous ministry was with the Pontifical Mission Societies in New York City. He has a doctorate in moral theology from the Gregorian University and was a professor for 24 years at Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas where he was also director of the Oblate Lourdes Grotto. A native Texan, his first assignment was four years in the Pastoral Juvenil of the Archdiocese of Puebla, Mexico.

Reverendo Leo Pérez, O.M.I.

El Padre Leo Pérez, O.M.I. es director de las Colectas para la Iglesia en América Latina de la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de Estados Unidos. Su ministerio anterior fue la Pontifical Mission Societies en New York City. Tiene un Doctorado en Teología Moral de la Universidad Gregoriana y durante 24 años fue profesor en la Oblate School of Theology en San Antonio, Texas, donde fue también director del Oblate Lourdes Grotto. Nació en Texas, su primera responsabilidad fue desempeñada durante cuatro años en la Pastoral Juvenil de la Arquidiócesis de Puebla, México.

Ms. Marilyn Santos

Marilyn Santos is the associate director of the Secretariat of Evangelization and Catechesis at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. She previously served as the director of mission education in the National Office of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States. She has held leadership positions in youth, young adult and cultural diversity ministries in the Archdiocese of Atlanta, and the Dioceses of Brooklyn, New York and Metuchen, New Jersey. Ms. Santos served as the president of La RED – the National Catholic Network de Pastoral Juvenil Hispana and as a consultant for the USCCB Secretariat on Laity, Marriage, Family & Youth. She served as a VIDES-Salesian Sisters Missionary in Ecuador.

Srta. Marilyn Santos

Marilyn Santos es directora asociada de la Secretaría de Evangelización y Catequesis en la Conferencia de los Obispos Católicos de Estados Unidos. Anteriormente sirvió como directora de educación para la misión en el National Office of the Pontifical Mission Societies en los Estados Unidos. Ha ocupado cargos de liderazgo en los ministerios, juvenil, de adultos jóvenes, y diversidad cultural en la Arquidiócesis de Atlanta y en la Diócesis de Brooklyn, New York y Metuchen, New Jersey. La Srta. Santos sirvió como presidenta de La Red, la National Catholic Network de Pastoral Juvenil Hispana y como asesora para la secretaría sobre el Laicado, el Matrimonio, la Familia y la Juventud, de la USCCB. Ha servido como VIDES- Hermanas Salesianas Misioneras en Ecuador.